Solar tracker bearing apparatus

A solar tracker bearing apparatus mountable to a support post for pivotally supporting a support beam of a solar tracker assembly, the solar tracker bearing apparatus comprising:

• a rotatable bearing assembly supported for rotation about an axis of rotation by a saddle assembly, the rotatable bearing assembly including a first bearing member and a second bearing member, the first bearing member including a central portion and a first arcuate peripheral portion and the second bearing member including a central portion and a second arcuate peripheral portion, the central portion of the first bearing member and the central portion of the second bearing member defining a beam slot, the first arcuate peripheral portion of the first bearing member including a first arcuate rim bearing and the second arcuate peripheral portion of the second bearing member including a second arcuate rim bearing, the first and second rim bearings being spaced apart in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotatable bearing assembly, the first bearing member including a first projection extending from the first bearing member central portion in a direction toward the second bearing member, the first projection spacing apart the central portion of the first bearing member and the central portion of the second bearing member and forming a part of at least one of a bottom wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall of the beam slot of the rotatable bearing assembly;
• and
• the saddle assembly including a first arcuate bearing race and a spaced apart second arcuate bearing race, the first arcuate bearing race slidably supporting the first arcuate rim bearing of the rotatable bearing assembly and the second arcuate bearing race slidably supporting the second arcuate rim bearing of the rotatable bearing assembly.

A solar tracker bearing apparatus mountable to a support post for pivotally supporting a support beam of a solar tracker assembly, the solar tracker bearing apparatus comprising:

• a rotatable bearing assembly supported for rotation about an axis of rotation by a saddle assembly, the rotatable bearing assembly including a first bearing member and a second bearing member, the first bearing member including a central region and a first arcuate peripheral portion and the second bearing member including a central region and a second arcuate peripheral portion, the central region of the first bearing member and the central region of the second bearing member defining a beam slot, the first arcuate peripheral portion of the first bearing member including a first arcuate rim bearing and the second arcuate peripheral portion of the second bearing member including a second arcuate rim bearing, the first and second rim bearings being spaced apart in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the rotatable bearing assembly, the first bearing member including a first projection extending from the first bearing member central region in a direction toward the second bearing member, the first projection spacing apart the central region of the first bearing member and the central region of the second bearing member and forming a part of at least one of a bottom wall, a first side wall, and a second side wall of the beam slot of the rotatable bearing assembly;
• the saddle assembly including an upper bearing portion supporting the rotatable bearing assembly for rotation about the rotatable bearing assembly axis of rotation and a lower mounting portion;
• and
• a connecting assembly affixed to the lower coupling portion of the saddle assembly, the connecting assembly including a post cap includes a central planar section and a pair of vertically extending sides, the central planar section including an array of four arcuate slots, the coupling portion of the saddle assembly including four openings, each arcuate slot of the array of four arcuate slots receiving a fastener extending through an aligned one of the four openings of the coupling portion of the saddle assembly to secure the saddle assembly to the post cap.